September 23, 2005

Vol. LXXXV No. 2 Omaha, NE

Celebrating 84 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa

19 Elul, 5765 September 23, 2005

Harold Cooperman Temple Israel Reaches Out to Hurricane Survivors Via Jacob’s Ladder Dead at 87 by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Volunteers at Temple Israel are joining in an effort dubbed “Jacob’s Ladder: A Relief Prject of the Union for Reform Judaism” (URJ) which involves people across North America who are collecting food and supplies and shipping them to the Union’s Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica, Mississippi. The camp was designated by FEMA as a distribution center for supplies donated to Hurricane Katrina survivors. URJ is working in partnership with the town of Utica and the camp to operate a staging and distribution center for relief supplies from a warehouse provided by the city. Approximately 250 to 300 evacuees from the Gulf Coast area have passed through Jacob’s Camp since Katrina ravaged the cities of New Orleans, Biloxi, and Gulf Port and surrounding areas, according to Abram Orlansky, Assistant Director. Most evacuees have traveled on to other parts of the country although about 25 remain along with relief workers who use the Len Burrell, in the truck, helps volunteers Kate Kirshenbaum, left, and camp as a stopover on their way to the devas- Joanne Freeman load cases of paper goods at Temple Israel for victims of Photo by Joan K. Marcus tated areas. Volunteers from out of town who the hurricane. eral schools and faith organihave been helping unload Only sheets, towels, blankets, pillows, diapers, adult diapers trucks, most recently from (Depends), feminine hygiene products, tissues, and toilet paper zations who have offered to Champaign and Chicago, IL, will be accepted for shipping to Jacobs Camp. Gordman’s is collect goods. Please consider at the warehouse in Utica, a offering a 20% discount on sheets, pillows, blankets, and tow- adding your support to the town of 900, are provided els purchased at their stores. Coupons are available at Temple ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ project so board and room at the camp. or the JCC’s member services desk or on line at www.tem- together we can directly The camp’s fulltime staff of pleisrael-ne.org. Cash will also be accepted with 100% of the impact the lives of Katrina survivors.” seven are also helping. money used to purchase the designated goods. Large quantities of the “Our campus is a very busy place,” said Orlansky who mentioned how the same item should be packed in cases. To donate an camp staff is trying to make the residents, which cur- entire pallet of a particular item, please make an appointrently includes about 20 volunteers, comfortable while ment with Mimi Silverman who is chairing the project running the camp’s normal activities. He expects dozens for Temple. She can be reached at mimitaffet@cox.net. more volunteers in the coming days. He also expects Anyone in the community interested in volunteering to about 40 trucks from across the country to arrive at the help with this project can e-mail Kate Kirshenbaum at or Cindy Goldberg at warehouse where volunteers unload and sort donations katekirsh@cox.net before distributing them through a number of local and cgoldberg5@cox.net. Donations are being accepted at Temple Israel on regional ministries and relief centers that serve the greater Jackson community which has doubled in popu- Sundays, Mondays, and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Temple high school students will accept donations on lation with displaced families since the storm. Wendy Goldberg, President of Temple Israel, said, “This Wednesdays, 4-8 p.m. through Oct. 12, the final day project has presented an opportunity to partner with sev- of collections before the truck leaves for Utica.

by JOAN K. MARCUS Omaha groceryman, Harold Cooperman died Tuesday at the age of 87. Funeral services were held yesterday at Beth El Cemetery, where he was buried next to his wife, Merriam, who died in 1999. Cooperman was best known for his no nonsense approach to business and for his gentlemanly approach to real estate deals. P.J. Morgan, former mayor of Omaha, said, “I would rather have had a gentleman’s agreement with Harold Cooperman than a written agreement with most people!” He was born in Poland in 1918 and arrived in Omaha in 1923. His mother, father and two sisters came with him and he became the breadwinner for the family when his father lost a job as a laborer at National Biscuit Company. His mother died when he was 12 and left his father with Harold, 12, and his sisters, ages six and 15. Cooperman went to work delivering the Omaha World-Herald in the mornings and working three nights a week at a filling station. He earned a total of $20 per week and that was enough to support the family. After graduating from Central High in 1933, he went to work for his uncle, Al Wohlner, at California Grocery at 33rd and California. He said that the times were tough, but he learned the grocery business by working six day, 73-hour weeks for $10 per week. In 1938, he borrowed $2,000 from relatives and put in his life savings of $185 to open his own small grocery store at 16th and Fort. By 1941, he had tripled the size of the store, but World War II interrupted his career. He served in the United State Navy from 1943-46 and ran the meat department of a base kitchen on the Pacific Island of Guam. After returning to Omaha in 1947, he bought a store in Ralston. Another store in Ashland and one in Pickstown, South Dakota, rounded out the chain until 1955,when he opened Harold’s Market at 21st and East Locust in Omaha. He ran that Continued on page 15

ZAKA Rescues Damaged Torahs

Men’s Co-Chairmen: “Campaign Contributions Bring Great Return on Investment” by OZZIE NOGG ing. We hope to train and Mike Abramson and Bob inspire our workers, and Belgrade bring a unique educate them and the genercombination of volunteer al community about the experience and marketing agencies of the Federation savvy to their role as Men’s and the work they do.” Division Co-Chairs in the To further the education 2006 Federation Campaign. process, both men encourAccording to Mike, “The age onsite learning. “Just question I’m asked most walk the halls of the JCC,” often is, ‘What am I giving Bob says. “Walk through the to?’ Bob and I realize that Blumkin Home, visit the part of our responsibility as Child Development Center, Men’s Division Cothe Kripke Library, Jewish Mike Abramson and Bob Belgrade Chairmen is to help potenFamily Services. See the tial donors better understand where their contributions activity with your own eyes. See exactly where your congo and how the money is used in our local agencies and tribution goes. overseas.” “When you can identify with the cause--put a face on Bob Belgrade believes that, “Donors need to know it--you understand why all of us must continue to supwhat they’re buying. When you ask people to spend port the professional staff and the agencies. You’ll feel money, to contribute to the Campaign, you have to good about doing your part.” show them the benefits, explain what their dollar is buy- Continued on page 2

Inside Opinion Page see page 12

This Week: Monthly Calendar: Pages 8-9 From Shtetl to Swing Broadcasts on NET1: Page 2

Isaac Leider, a volunteer from ZAKA, carries a Torah out of the flooded Beit Israel shul in New Orleans on Sept. 13. A group of volunteers aided by National Guard soldiers rescued seven scrolls, though many may not be salvageable. The recovery effort was partially funded by Agudath More Op-eds on page 12-13. Israel of America. Credit: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images

Coming Next Week: New Year’s Issue: “The Path to Judaism”

Shimon Peres Reaches College Students Through MTV: Page 3

Registration Opens for 20th Annual Bible Quiz: Page 7

Chabad Gala Draws Crowd From Across Community: PAge 16

Page 2

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

September 23, 2005

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NCJW Public Affairs and Education Lunch Series Opens at Uta Halee by DANA COHN Co-Chairman NCJW Omaha Section Public Affairs and Education On Sept. 4, 2005, a new Nebraska law aimed at battling methamphetamine (“meth�) took effect. The law requires that medications containing a key meth ingredient, pseudoephedrine, be sold from behind the counter or kept in a locked cabinet. This law affects nonprescription medications such as Sudafed and Claritin-D. Drugstores now display signs that instruct customers to ask staff if they want to purchase these medications. As reported in the Omaha World Herald on September 3rd, 2005, the new law also requires purchasers of pseudoephedrine products to be 18 or older, to show government issued photo identification, and to limit their purchase to no more that 1,440 milligrams, about 48 doses, in a 24-hour period. This policy change is just the latest move on the part of Nebraska government officials to curtail the escalating abuse of meth across the state by adults and teenagers alike. In 2003, the National Drug Intelligence Center determined that the illegal drug methamphetamine is a principle and increasing threat to Nebraska. DrugRehabs.org identifies meth as the major drug related concern for law enforcement in the city of Omaha. When asked to assess the meth problem among teenagers in Omaha, licensed clinical social worker and addiction therapist Marti Finkel claimed that “Meth dependent adolescents are becoming a large proportion of clients within our agency. Treatment is a long process and the recovery rate is low, although it is improving. Meth is a major addiction that is causing a lot of problems for adolescents, their families and the Omaha community.� Across the state meth is readily available. This dangerous and highly addictive drug exacts serious phys-

ical effects on abusers, including paranoia, aggressive behavior, brain damage, severe weight loss and tooth decay. Meth addicts often endanger their community by committing several crimes every year to support their habit. According to the National Institute of Justice Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program the percentage of male arrestees in Omaha who tested positive for meth rose from 1 percent in 1990 to 10 percent in 1998. Similarly, the percentage of female arrestees in Omaha who tested positive for meth rose to 14 percent by 1998. Places like Nebraska with high meth production also suffer toxic environmental consequences. The Nebraska State Patrol reports that the meth production process leaves behind 5.6 pounds of toxic waste for every pound of meth produced creating health hazards for people nearby and environmental threats to the area. The Omaha Section of the National Council of Jewish Women will kick off a public affairs and education lunch series with an opportunity to learn more about methamphetamine use in Nebraska, particularly among teenagers. This event will be held on Monday, Sept. 26, 11 a.m.-12:45 p.m., at Uta Halee Girls Village, 10625 Calhoun Road. Attendees of this free event will tour Uta Halee’s facility and get to talk to experts about this growing problem in the Omaha area. Lunch will be provided. The NCJW lunch series will run through the spring of 2006 and will introduce participants to a number of social service organizations around Omaha, providing an opportunity to learn about and discuss related public policy issues. To attend the event, please contact Dana Cohn (558.1318; cohndb@aol.com) or Andee Scioli (341.6000; ascioli@fraserstryker.com).

Return on Investment

Influence of Yiddish Musical Heritage Featured in Great Performances Broadcast on NET1

Continued from page 1 For his part, Belgrade currently serves as President of Jewish Senior Services, Vice-President of the JCC, Treasurer (and Past President) of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, and is a member of the Budget and Allocation Committee, Insurance Committee and Strategic Planning Committee. Abramson, a Past President of Beth El Synagogue, is now Treasurer of Federation and the Rose Blumkin Home. “We can’t ignore the cost of maintaining the campus,� Mike says. “Insurance, utilities, are all beyond our control. We focus, naturally, on human needs, but the brick and mortar issues are important, too. Once people really understand the breadth of the work done by the Federation and its agencies, and the need to keep the wheels turning, we hope they’ll try to dig a little deeper.� Locally, monies raised through Federation’s Annual Campaign support the Community Relations Committee (CRC), the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Educational and Library Services, Jewish Family Service and Jewish Senior Services. Those dollars also help continue the work of the Jewish Press, Young Jewish Omaha, local synagogues, Friedel Jewish Academy, Va'ad HaKashruth and various programs for newcomers and leadership development. A portion of the dollars go to Israel and to support Jews in the former Soviet Union. Looking back on Omaha’s track record of communal commitment, Mike says, “The generations that came before us were so generous with everything. My folks instilled the importance of being active in me at an early age. Now we have to set a legacy for our children--teach them to get involved in Jewish causes, to give back. We need to maintain that culture of living generously, of giving one’s time and financial resources. � Bob adds, “The Omaha Jewish community is fortunate to have so many people who step up to the plate, who really care. Our community should understand what they are giving to and hopefully feel there’s a reason to be generous. The key is to recognize that every contribution helps support a massive amount of services and programs. “Look at it this way. When you buy a car or a camera, you want to know that you’re getting quality and value for your money. Well, when you contribute to Federation, you get both--you receive true value and quality for your investment in this very special community. You get a great return on your investment.� For more information about the Jewish Federation of Omaha and its 2006 Live Generously Campaign, please call the Federation office at 334.6485.

by LARRY L. KUBERT NET Content Promotions LINCOLN -- Between 1880 and 1924, two and a half million Jews had reached the breaking point. Fleeing persecution in Russia and Eastern Europe, they kissed their small-town shtetls goodbye and migrated to America. America, in turn, would completely reshape Jewish identity, and Jewish popular entertainment would take 20th-century American music on a joy ride to beat the band. That toe-tapping, two-stepping, rugcutting odyssey is the subject of “Great Performance’s From Shtetl to Swing,� a delightful one-hour musical spritz airing Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. on NET1. Hosted by Broadway’s latest Tevye, H a r v e y Fierstein, and written and directed by Fabienne RoussoLenoir, the evening features such legendary performers as Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Eddie Cantor, Molly Picon, Artie Shaw, and Benny Goodman. The music isn’t too shabby either, with Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and Harold Arlen keeping things moving. Bursting with pep and ambition, these first- and second-generation Americans became cultural pioneers, eager to shake off their past yet taking full advantage of their Yiddish musical heritage. And when they joined forces with the black musicians around them, the results were irresistible. Identifying with black music, Jewish artists projected their own roots onto the black condition. Sharing a history of slavery, exile and marginalization, the match was a perfect fit, and jazz became the prayer of secularized Jews. “It was an extraordinary time,� Rousso-Lenoir says, “and an extraordinary journey, stretching from synagogue choirs to Harlem nightspots, from Yiddish theatre to musical extravaganza, from klezmer to ragtime, from Gershwin to Goodman.� It’s one big mishmash, and just try not to love it.

September 23, 2005

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 3

Shimon Peres and ‘New Middle East’ Reach College Students through MTV Did he think Palestinians and Israelis would always withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. “For the first time, by SUE FISHKOFF NEW YORK (JTA)--Shimon Peres, a former Israeli Palestinians will be completely in charge of a piece of have to live separately, one student asked? “We have to separate politically and cooperate ecoprime minister, has been called many things in his long land of their own,” he said, where they will be able to nomically,” Peres said firmly. He defended Israel’s West and distinguished career--visionary, peacenik, Bank security barrier, saying it would come down when Francophile, dreamer, even schemer. peace is achieved, “like the Berlin Wall at the end of the But “hip” has rarely been among the adjectives Cold War. attached to his name. “The world is becoming more and more a place of That didn’t stop MTV, that arbiter of taste and fashmixed cultures and to be different is also an equal ion among the world’s youth, from choosing Israel’s right,” Vice Prime Minister for a stint as a “stand-in” professor he said. on mtvU, the channel’s 24-hour college network. Peres had sharp words only for Iran, whose leaders he Instead of the scheduled lecture on the Ottoman called “terrible people” and “killers.” Empire, when New York University students walked “If Iran will possess modern weapons, it would be a into their “International Politics of the Middle East” catastrophe for the world,” he warned. class last Thursday they were greeted by MTV cameras Afterward, students reacted favorably to the half-hour and a surprise visit from Peres, the longtime Labor presentation. Party leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner. “He was much more of an optimist than I imagined,” Peres outlined his vision for Middle East peace and said Lauren Scrima, 20. “He was a really good speaker. then fielded questions from students, who never quite He used real examples, which is a good way to make lost their bewildered expressions. Previous guests on the show have included the Rev. During an event run by MTV, Israeli Vice Prime Minister Shimon your points. I was very impressed.” Jesse Jackson, the author Tom Wolfe, the rocker Sting Peres makes a surprise appearance during a class about the The stand-in professor series has become mtvU’s most popular show, Friedman said. and Elie Wiesel, who spoke about genocide at the Mideast peace process at New York University on Sept. 15. Credit: Jason Hollander/NYU “There’s smart dialogue, and it’s a much more University of Miami. engaged conversation,” he said, which the student audiPeres was in New York for the Clinton Global “live in freedom, dignity and prosperity.” Reiterating one of his better-known themes, he added, ences seem to enjoy. Initiative, a three-day conference on poverty, and MTV MtvU is a national cable feed that is available in dorinvited him to take part in the series. Once he con- “Jewish people were not born to occupy the land of mitories and common spaces on more than 600 college firmed, they contacted NYU to find an appropriate class. somebody else or to control other people.” In response to a student who asked whether it was campuses, reaching more than 6.5 million students, David Friedman, mtvU’s general manager, says the show has a relationship with Seeds of Peace and necessary to impose modernity on people who might Friedman said. Peres. show from NYU will be shown on OneVoice, two groups working for Palestinian-Israeli prefer their own traditions, Peres stressed the need for the air and online at www.mtvU.com on Sept. 27. economic prosperity in the developing world. dialogue, and Peres fit its agenda nicely. “You can’t make a living on tradition,” he said. “When you think about icons who have been doing Modernity can coexist with cultural differences, he this, Peres is legendary,” Friedman says, adding that the by MYRON J. KAPLAN show “also has an invitation in to Mahmoud Abbas,” the said, pointing to Jorda’s fast-developing educational sysExecutive Director tem where “women are free--they can go to school and Palestinian Authority president. The Board of Trustees of the Milton S. and Corinne Peres walked quietly into the NYU auditorium, smil- remain Muslim.” N. Livingston Foundation will meet on Tuesday, Nov. One student asked what Peres felt when he first saw a ing broadly, and began speaking in soft, measured tones 29. Grant requests must be submitted in writing no about “the new Middle East,” where peace must be Palestinian, and then a Hamas, flag flying over former later than Friday, Oct. 28, and sent to me at: 11605 sought through patient negotiation and where new ways Jewish settlements in Gaza. Miracle Hills Dr., Suite 300, PO Box 54-2005, “I don’t mind if the Palestinians are happy,” Peres said. of thinking must replace old models. Omaha, NE 68154-8005. For more information, Couching his description of the peace process in char- “Their joy is not my pain. But I wish they wouldn’t exagplease call me at: 492.9800. acteristically optimistic terms, he hailed Israel’s recent gerate. They shouldn’t burn. They shouldn’t shoot.”

Livingston Grants Due Next Month

Out

Dining

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

September 23, 2005

Beth Israel’s High Holiday Chazzan Gives “Service of the Heart�

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Dembitzer also enjoys opportunities to scholastically by MARY BORT challenge himself, which led to a number of educational for Beth Israel Synagogue “Singing, clapping, and tapping your way to your soul experiences. He spent a couple of years studying in and heart�...that’s what you’ll experience during a serv- Israel, earned an Masters in Public Administration from New York University and ice led by Rabbi Ari attended Yeshiva University. Dembitzer. Serving as Beth Under Rabbi David Israel Synagogue’s High Feinstein, he received his Holiday Chazzan for the rabbinic ordination in New past five years, he will once York from Tiserit Jerusalem. again be in Omaha to lead When asked if there is a services during Selichot, particular High Holiday Rosh Hashanah and Yom service that is a favorite, Kippur. Dembitzer said, “Neilah, at “We’re very fortunate to the end of Yom Kippur, have Ari come to Beth Israel when we realize how we each year for the High worked hard and we fasted Holidays,� stated Bonnie Rabbi Ari Dembitzer and Rabbi Jonathon Gross and can feel good about it. Bloch, Beth Israel President. “We’re hungry but rejoicing. This last service is so “His energy and joy are truly infectious.� Dembitzer, from Brooklyn, is 28-years-old. His heartfelt, and we are so inspired that we break into grandfather was a cantor in Long Island for many years, dance.� In addition to serving as Beth Israel’s High Holiday so the combination of prayer and music has always seemed to be a natural fit in Dembitzer’s eyes. He Chazzan, Dembitzer works year-round for Chai served as a cantor for five years at his synagogue in New Lifeline’s Camp Simcha, directing the operations of four York, and developed a unique musical style that encour- camps that take care of 400 young campers at a time. Camp Simcha is a kosher camp for children with cancer ages congregants to participate. According to Dembitzer, “A big influence in my life and other catastrophic illnesses. Dembitzer sees his work has been the composer Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. His with Camp Simcha and at Beth Israel as being related. “I have my energy and have a goal to infuse happiness heartfelt songs add so much to prayer. I’ve taken his tunes and incoroporated them into a kind of cantorial in others. In any struggle, positive energy connects us closer to God,� he insisted. “So, I have an opportunity style. There is such power in music and song. “However, I don’t consider myself a cantor,� he to give kids, who are facing serious illnesses, some hapadded. “Rather, I think of myself as a Shliach Zibbur, piness. Comparatively, using song with prayer during a which is a ‘representative of the congregation.’ I try to service helps others deal with their struggles.� Everyone in the community is invited to attend High lead a congregation to sing the praise of God. There is a power between music and the heart. Prayer is not just lip Holiday services at Beth Israel. For a complete service service; it should be a service of the heart. I try to use schedule, including the services led by Rabbi Dembitzer, my energy and talent to get everyone’s heart into please contact Beth Israel’s office at 556.6288. prayer.�

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by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator The passing of five prominent Israeli musical artists during the past several years could be compared to a scenario in which America would lose--in a short period of time--influential contemporary artists such as Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Carole King and Paul Simon, says Beth El Cantor GastĂłn Bogomolni. The loss would be enormous. To keep their music alive and in an effort to pay tribute to Ofra Haza, Naomi Shemer, Natan Yonatan, Ehud Manor and Uzi Hitman, Cantor Bogomolni has planned a special musical program on Saturday, Sept. 24, prior to the synagogue’s Selichot service. Selections by each artist will be performed by the cantor on vocals, accompanied by guitarist Bob Adler. The Jewish community is invited to join together for this evening of music and prayer, which will begin with a 9 p.m. Havdalah service. The evening’s musical program holds special meaning to Cantor Bogomolni, who feels strongly about sharing the music of these Israeli artists with the Omaha Jewish community. “In the last five years we have lost some of our greatest Israeli poets/songwriters/lyricists/singers /authors. It is really hard to see how much history, talent and culture is gone,â€? he said. “I grew up singing all these artists’ songs. Each of them had something unique; each of them left a legacy of music and poetry. Their music represents the stories of the modern and old Israel, the narration of suffering and joy.â€? Several Omahans with Israeli roots also shared some thoughts about the artists who will be commemorated. “Naomi Shemer was a legend in Israel during her lifetime as a musical composer, and ‘Yerushaliyim Shel Za’av’ will be sung for generations from now,â€? remarked Natan Schwalb. “We also watched a lot of Ehud Manor’s involvement in cultural and musical performances. But what is most interesting about these Israeli legends is how much admiration and respect the Israeli public bestowed upon them. The entire country grieved when these artists departed. The newscasts and memorials seemed to be never ending as their songs and lives were celebrated. This is a tribute to the culture and love of country by ordinary Israelis,â€? he added. Speaking about lyricists Shemer, Manor and Yonatan,

Roni Reiter-Palmon noted that, “When I listen to music, words are very important to me, so this is probably the reason why these three are so meaningful to me. Ehud Manor wrote some of the most beautiful love songs that I know. He also wrote some beautiful songs expressing his love for the country and nostalgia about growing up in Israel. The words are always simple, but beautifully put together. The simplicity in his language is what speaks to me. “Natan Yonatan on the other hand, was first and foremost a poet, and his poems were put to music. His words tend to reflect that; they are beautiful poetry, sometimes their meaning more obscure; however, the writing is lyrical and beautiful,� she insisted. “Naomi Shemer is known for songs that developed into national anthems of sorts. Her songs also reflected a political reality, as she was very involved in politics.� Reiter-Palmon concluded that “the common thread in these five singers and/or song writers [being remembered] is that they all represent various facets of Israel and life in Israel. To me, they are Israel. Each one of them influenced the music world in Israel, but also represents a specific aspect or time period.� Cantor Bogomolni noted that at the end of the musical performance, all the Israelis in the audience will be invited to join on the bimah to sing ‘Yerushaliyim Shel Za’av’ and ‘Hatikvah.’ After the program, a special dessert reception will be held in honor of Beth El Program Director Harriet Einziger, who will leave the synagogue at the end of the month. Following refreshments, attendees are invited to stay for the moving Selichot service, led by Rabbi Mordechai Levin and Cantor Bogomolni, and accompanied by the Beth El choir, which includes: Dacia Jabenis, Annelise Ocanto, Eadie Tsabari, David Adler and Jim Fried. Musical accompaniment will be provided by Tuffy Epstein on flute and clarinet, and Esther Wax on piano. “The music we will share on the 24th is ageless, beautiful and extraordinary, and our poignant Selichot service is a wonderful way to welcome the upcoming High Holidays,� Cantor Bogomolni said. “We invite everyone in the Jewish community to join us at Beth El, as we spend a very special evening filled with music and prayer.�

September 23, 2005

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 5

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Page 6

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

September 23, 2005

Sisterhood Style Show “a Smashing Success” by MARY BORT for Beth Israel Synagogue The Beth Israel Sisterhood Style Show and Luncheon was held Sept. 13. More than 140 guests enjoyed the festive event that included lunch catered by Culinary Services, door prize and donor prize drawings, silent auction and style show. Beautiful fashions from Draper’s and Damon’s were modeled by Helene Shrago, Ann Moskovits, Janet Kohll, Mary Sue Grossman, Toba Cohen, Beth Cohen and Bonnie Bloch. Styles from the children’s boutique Pish Posh were modeled by Max Kohll, Jack Kohll, Leah Gurock, Eleanor Dunning and Zoe Berman. Proceeds from the day’s event will benefit Sisterhood’s many projects for the synagogue, with a portion going to the Federation’s Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund.

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BBYO Rush Season Ends with a Thrill by RACHEL BLUM JCC Program Director Since the end of April, members of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization have been working hard to attract new members to join BBYO. Hundreds of phone calls were made to potential new members and their parents encouraging them to attend weekly meetings and special programming, the most exciting of which was a trip to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. Last month, 39 teens, which included 26 new members and 13 upperclassmen that helped to recruit them, arrived at the JCC at the break of dawn to load the bus headed for the amusement park. The teens had a great time on the bus, as we watched movies, listened to music, and participated in a BBYO trivia game prepared by Abby Ginsburg, the BBG Council N’siah. “It’s so great to see so many new members,” says Abby. “They are so eager to learn about BBYO and we have lots of upperclassmen

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Registration Begins for 20th Annual Bible Quiz by LOIS EPSTEIN “This bible quiz will be special. After all, it is the twentieth year that B’nai B’rith has sponsored it,” Gary Javitch explained. “And over the last five years, the number of participants and the audience size has increased dramatically.” The scholarships have grown, too. “It’s really exciting,” added Javitch who is the current president of the Henry Monsky Lodge of B’nai B’rith. “If you have never attended the competition, you will enjoy the tension and the drama. It’s a little like Jeopardy in that respect.” This year quiz will be held Wednesday, Dec. 7, 7 p.m., at the JCC. The contest is open to all Jewish teenagers in the Omaha area in grades nine-12. First prize is $600, second is $350, third, $250 and fourth, $125. Prize monies can be applied toward college tuition, a trip to Israel or an approved Jewish camp or educational program sponsored by a local or national Jewish organization. The assignment this year is the Book of Deuteronomy. Before the contest, the contestants will be asked to familiarize themselves with the assigned book by reading it. Sample questions will be given in advance and practice sessions will be held. “The purpose of the quiz,” according to its founder, Lodge Trustee, Steve Riekes, “is to encourage Jewish youth to become more familiar with their bible heritage. It is also to honor the memory of the late Sen. Edward Zorinsky, who had a special concern for young people.” The family of the Jewish senator funds scholarships for the event and the lodge named it after him. “While the Lodge is the sponsor and organizer of the quiz, the Jewish community contributes a great deal to the success,” Riekes said. It is held in conjunction with Jewish Book Month and the Federation Kripke Library. Also, as they have done for the past 20 years, each of the synagogues, their youth groups and their schools, and the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization are all assisting in the contest. Leonard Greenspoon, the Klutznick Professor of Jewish Civilization at Creighton University, serves as a judge, along with Omaha’s pulpit rabbis. In some small way, Riekes believes that the contest has enhanced appreciation for the Bible among Omaha’s Jewish youth. “I know Henry Monsky Lodge has always been committed to our youth, and I am pleased to be involved with this program,” said Rachel Blum, BBYO Director. Those interested in entering may do so by submitting their name, parents’ names, address and zip code, e-mail address, telephone, high school and grade to the B’nai B’rith Office, 333 So. 132 St, Omaha, NE 68154, by calling me at 33.6443 or by e-mail to lepstein@jewishomaha.org by Nov. 1. For more information, call Riekes, 333.8498 or 492.9800.

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ORGANIZATIONS THE YOUNG ENERGETIC SENIORS Join us on Monday for the Terry Edwards Show. Lunch begins at noon at $6 per person. Come try your luck with Bingo with Eileen Remer at 10 a.m. Exercise will begin at 10:30 a.m. and the discussion group at 11 a.m. in the Social Hall. Call Dee Dee for transportation at 330.4272. LOMIR REDN YIDDISH Come to the Yiddish meeting at the JCC on Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. Call Anne Skolkin at 343.1638. VISIONS Magical Mystery Tour on Thursday, Oct. 27. Cost of $20 per person includes transportation, lunch, tour, tax and gratuity. Depart from the JCC at 9 a.m.; return by approximately 2 p.m. Send reservations to Harry Alloy, 11317 Harney Plaza Circle, Omaha, NE 68154. The Brownville Concert Series presents Barbara Brussel in Almost Like Being in Love, The Lyrics of Alan Jay Lerner on Sunday, Oct. 30. Cost is $42. Depart from the JCC at noon (be at the JCC by 11:45 a.m.). Return by approximately 7 p.m. Send reservation to Jean Elkon, 1005 No. 63 St., Omaha, NE 68132. For information, call Ethel Goldston, at 393-7358. Make check payable to Visions. No refunds after Sept. 30. For those members going to The Graduate at the Omaha Community Playhouse on Sunday, Oct. 2, please pick up the tickets at 1:30 p.m. in the lobby. On stage at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines is the Broadway Production of the Lion King on Thursday, April 6, 2006. The cost of $94 includes coach transportation, theatre tickets, dinner, tax and gratuities. Depart from the JCC at 9:30 a.m. and return by approximately 9 p.m. Send reservations with payment to Ethel Goldston, 1108 No. 92 Plaza #101, Omaha, NE 68114 by Oct.10. For information, call Jean Elkon at 551.6656. Make check payable to Visions. JEWISH SENIOR SERVICES Reminder: Israeli Pop Concert by UNO Heartland Philharmonic is Tuesday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m., at the JCC. No admission fee. Enjoy selections from Fiddler on the Roof, Russian Ashkenazi Klezmer, Mahler: “Song of the Wayfarer” with mezzo-soprano Wendy Eaton and John Williams’ Suite from Schindler’s List. Call Maggie Conti at 334.6521. JELS Call now to register for the Hebrew Reading Crash Course being presented by Jewish Educational and Library Services. The one day review is sponsored by the National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP) and will be offered at the JCC on Sunday, Oct. 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Elinor Matalon, a native Israeli and experienced Hebrew teacher will be the instructor. The cost of $30 and includes all materials and a kosher sack lunch. To

register, call the JELS office at 334.6445 or e-mail mgrossman@jewishomaha.org. Registrations are needed by Wednesday, Sept. 28. JEWISH WOMEN INTERNATIONAL The Mah Jongg tournament will be on Sunday, Oct. 16 at the Jewish Community Center. Registration will start at noon, and play will be from 12:30-4:30 p.m. The entrance fee is $18 and there will be tournament prizes and door prizes. Refreshments will be served. To register, send check (payable to JWI) by Tuesday, Oct. 11 to Rosalie Greenspan, 8108 Howard St., Omaha, NE 68114; 391.1954 or Esther Wax, 118 So. 88 St., Omaha, NE 68114; 393.4442. Your place will be reserved upon receipt of your check. If you are able to provide a Mah Jongg set and/or tablecloth, please contact Rosalie Greenspan or Esther Wax. NEBRASKA CHORAL ARTS SOCIETY The Nebraska Choral Arts Society (NCAS) will perform a benefit concert for hurricane relief at Beth El on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, but donations to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, New Orleans Children’s Choir, and Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank will be gladly accepted. Samantha Juster conceived of and is organizing the concert as part of her Bat Mitzvah Mitzvah project. Fred and Sandy Bromley, co-chairmen of Visions’ cultural committee, enjoy a recent Visions excursion on the River City Star. Visionaires are planning several outings, including an Oct. 2 Omaha Community Playhouse matinee of The Graduate, a Brownville, Nebraska, concert and an Oct. 27 mystery trip. Reservations for an April 6 performance of the Lion King in Des Moines are due Oct. 10. For information about the Des Moines trip, call Jean Elkon at 551.6656.

BIRTH Kathy and John McGauvran announce the Sept. 6 birth of their son, Ryan Scott. He is named in memory of his great uncle, Eddie Belgrade. His Hebrew name is Eliyahu. He has two brothers, William, 6 and Adam, 4. Grandparents are Linda and Harold Mann, and Sally and Ron McGauvran of Clinton, IA. Great-Grandparents are the late Sara and Eli Zalkin, and Ada and Irving Mann.

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

September 23, 2005

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All events held at the Jewish Community Center unless otherwise noted. This calendar does not include all community events. For a complete listing, visit the Federation’s website: www.jewishomaha.org (click on calendar). To keep calendar accurate, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of the below events.

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SUNDAY, SEPT. 25 Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class, “Living Hebrew” Class with Susie Levin, and Bible Study with Leonard Greenspoon, 10 a.m. at Beth El Prayer Class, and Jewish Potpouri, 11 a.m. at Beth El Sisterhood Pre-Holiday Cooking Class, 1 p.m. at Beth El Yachad, 1 p.m. at Val’s Pumpkin Patch LOVE Grandparents’ Day Celebration, 1 p.m. Kripke Library “Sunday Story Time”, 2 p.m. “Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature”, 4 p.m. at UNO Library “Live from the 92nd Street Y”, 6:30 p.m. MONDAY, SEPT. 26 JSS Senior Luncheon, noon NCJW Uta Halee Girls Village Program, 11:30 a.m. TUESDAY, SEPT. 27 ADL Institute for Holocaust Education, 5:30 p.m. BBYO Chapter Installations, 6 p.m. at area restaurants Israeli “Pops” Symphony, 7 p.m. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 28 Spice and Spirit Cooking Club, 9:30 a.m. at Chabad PATTER, 10:30 a.m. at Beth El Bereavement Group, 6 p.m. at Beth El Hadassah Meeting, 7 p.m. NCJW Board Meeting, 7 p.m. THURSDAY, SEPT. 29 Kripke Library “Thursday Story Time”, 10 a.m. Walk-in Drop-in, 10 a.m. Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. JFS Love and Logic Classes, 6 p.m. FRIDAY, SEPT. 30 “Ima and Me” Class, 10:30 a.m. at Chabad House

SUNDAY, OCT. 2 “Living Hebrew” Class, and Bible Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El JELS Hebrew Reading Crash Course, 10 a.m. Adult Education, 10:30 a.m. at Temple Israel Kever Avot Services, 11 a.m. at Beth Israel Prayer Class and Jewish Potpouri, 11 a.m. at Beth El Visions, 2 p.m. at Omaha Community Playhouse “Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature,” 4 p.m. at UNO Library “Live from the 92nd Street Y,” 6:30 p.m. MONDAY, OCT. 3 JSS Senior Luncheon, 10 a.m. Jewish/Catholic Commemoration, 2 p.m. at Temple Israel JCC CLOSED AT 6P.M. FOR ROSH HASHANAH TUESDAY, OCT. 4 JCC CLOSED FOR ROSH HASHANAH Beth El High Holiday Youth Program, 10 a.m. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 5 JCC CLOSED FOR ROSH HASHANAH High Holiday Youth Program, 10 a.m. at Beth El THURSDAY, OCT. 6 Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Walk-in Drop-in, 10 a.m. Long Range Planning Meeting, noon at Temple Israel Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. JFS Love and Logic Classes, 6 p.m. OTYG Board Meeting, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel SUNDAY, OCT. 9 Adult Education, 10:30 a.m. at Temple Israel Tashlich Picnic, 11 a.m. at Beth Israel BESTT Chaverim, 12:30 p.m. Temple Israel Cemetery Memorial Service, 1 p.m. Sara Wamsat Art Exhibit, 2 p.m.

MONDAY, OCT. 10 ADL/CRC Board Meeting, noon Hadassah Board Meeting, 1 p.m. Executive Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m. at Friedel Jewish Academy, FJA Board Meeting, 7 p.m. Beth El Rosh Chodesh, 7 p.m. Jewish Press Meeting, 7:30 p.m. TUESDAY, OCT. 11 ADL Manhigim Institute, 4 p.m. Federation Executive Committee Meeting, 5:30 p.m. ADL Institute for Holocaust Education, 5:30 p.m. BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Federation Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m.

MONDAY, OCT. 17 JCC CLOSED AT 6 P.M. FOR SUKKOT JSS Senior Luncheon, 10 a.m. Sukkot Family Box Dinner & Service, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel

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ENTERTAIN TUESDAY, OCT. 25 JCC OPEN/FED OFFICES CLOSED FOR SHEMINI ATZERET BBYO Night, 6 p.m. Hakafot & Dinner, 7 p.m. at Beth Israel

TUESDAY, OCT. 18 JCC CLOSED FOR SUKKOT Adult Education, 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 26 JCC OPEN/FED OFFICES CLOSED FOR SIMCHAT TORAH Simchat Torah Lunch, noon at Beth Israel NCJW Board Meeting, noon

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 19 JCC OPEN/FED OFFICES CLOSED FOR SUKKOT Sukkot Lunch, noon at Beth Israel

FRIDAY, OCT. 14 Building the Sukkah (Part 1), 8 a.m. at Beth Israel

THURSDAY, OCT. 20 “Thursday Story Time,” 10 a.m. at Kripke Library Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Walk-in Drop-in, 10 a.m. Long Range Planning Meeting, noon at Temple Israel Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. Kripke Library Book Discussion Group, 1 p.m. Jewish Women International Potluck, 5 p.m., tba

SATURDAY, OCT. 15 OTYG (Gr. 9-12) Event, 8 p.m. at Temple Israel

FRIDAY, OCT. 21 Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. at Beth El

SUNDAY, OCT. 16 Sukkah Construction, 10 a.m. at Beth El Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel WRJ-O Board Meeting, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel “Living Hebrew” Class, and Bible Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El Building the Sukkah (Part II), 11 a.m. at Beth Israel Prayer Class and Jewish Potpouri, 11 a.m. at Beth El Teacher Luncheon, noon at Temple Israel Yachad Sukkot Celebration, noon at location: tba Mah Jong Tournament, noon “Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature,” 4 p.m. at UNO Library

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THURSDAY, OCT. 13 JCC CLOSED FOR YOM KIPPUR High Holiday Youth Program, 10 a.m. at Beth El HAZAK Break the Fast, 7 p.m. at Beth El Break the Fast Dinner, 8 p.m. at Beth Israel

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SUNDAY, OCT. 23 “Living Hebrew” Class, and Bible Study, 10 a.m. at Beth El WRJ-O Baking, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Prayer Class, and Jewish Potpouri, 11 a.m. at Beth El Sukkah Party, 1 p.m. at Beth El “Sunday Story Time,” 2 p.m. at Kripke Library NJHS History of Klezmer Music, 2 p.m. Family Sukkot Program, 5 p.m. at Beth Israel

THURSDAY, OCT. 27 Adult Education, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel Visions Mystery Trip, 10 a.m. Walk-in Drop-in, 10 a.m. Religious School Committee, noon at Temple Israel Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. Adult Education, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel FRIDAY, OCT. 28 Temple Israel Fall Chavurah - OTYG (Gr. 9-12) Fri.-Sun. “Ima and Me” Class, 10:30 a.m. at Chabad House

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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

September 23, 2005

Yachad Takes Class At World’s Largest Indoor Rainforest AS JEWS, WE KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES STRIPPED AWAY. Supreme Court nominee Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. has questioned our civil rights, our right to reproductive freedom, and our right to the separation of religion and state. If he is confirmed to a lifetime seat as chief justice on the nation’s highest court, Judge Roberts will determine our rights and liberties — now and for generations to come. We stand on a slippery slope — if we lose just one right, we can lose them all.

WHICH FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOM ARE YOU WILLING TO LOSE?

rainforest “bingo”. A great deal of by DUANE J. PIEPER The Yachad members visit to the Henry knowledge was shared by the generous Doorly Zoo on Sept. 11 was more than a and well versed teachers at the Education stroll through the park. This visit started Center. The most exciting moment of the and ended at the Education Department event was when the Yachad members near the Rainforest. Its major purpose is realized how much they had learned not only recreational, but created also for through the process. Everyone walked away with a sense of accomplishment. education and conservation awareness. In the Living Classroom the members of Yachad learned to identify the animal life indigenous to the jungle, the rain forest’s ecosystem, and also its unique and important products. The group entered into this wet, foreign environment at the “umbrella” and “canopy” levels of the rainforest, which was much brighter and more inviting. The birds inhabiting these treetops went about their Yachad Members explore Lied Jungle. Grace Isler, left, Jill daily routine singing, forag- Salomon, Eric Friedberg, Lisa Salomon, Nancy Isler and Ben ing for food, and making Friedman. Yachad next excursion will take them to their nests, seemingly ignoring our presence. Everyone enjoyed the antics of the the Midwest’s largest Autumn Fall monkeys as they performed for us. Festival at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch on Walking under a ledge with dripping Sunday, Sept. 25. The afternoon will be water and a cascading waterfall overhead filled with amusements, exhibits, enterwas beautiful moment for the group. tainment and an old-fashion hay rake All too soon it was time to return to the ride. Friends of Yachad are invited to join classroom to evaluate what we learned us; call me at Jewish Family Service-through a question and answer game of 334.649x--for more details.

IN THE NEWS The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce has announced that Anthony Scioli, an attorney with Kutak Rock, LLP, has been selected as a member of the Leadership Omaha Class of 2005-06. Participation in the 10-month program includes study of issues that affect greater Omaha, exploration of aspects of leadership and development of capabilities to strengthen and transform the community. Omaha author Jack Moskovitz announced that PublishAmerica will publish his latest novel, The Tuxedo Square Job, on Oct. 3. The comedy features a depressed tree trimmer, a poet-diner loner, a former millionaire, his newphew, assorted grifters, show girls and a group of feisty senior citizens. The book is available at Amazon.com or by special order at local bookstores.

YOUR SENATORS NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU!

SPEAK OUT TODAY BY LOGGING ON TO WWW.BENCHMARKCAMPAIGN.ORG. TELL YOUR SENATORS TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS BY VOTING “NO” ON JOHN G. ROBERTS, JR. IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

BENCHMARK IS THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN’S CAMPAIGN TO SAVE ROE

Business Edge newspaper in Tuscon, AZ, has named former Omahan Dr. Lynn Polonski as one of “40 under 40” medical professionals. The doctor credits his parents, Holocaust survivors Bluma and Joe Polonski, with instilling in him a “sense of family, hard work and honesty.” An ophthalmologist and assistant professor of comprehesive ophthalmology and ocuplastics with University Physicians Healthcare, Dr. Polonski also volunteers at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Clinic, the Arizona Mobile Eye unit and Nogales Regional Surgery Center. A returned Peace Corps volunteer and recruiter will be in Omaha in late September and early October to talk with community members and college students at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Creighton University about current volunteer opportunities. University of Nebraska at Omaha, Thursday, Sept. 29, 5–7 p.m. Milo Bail, Gallery Room; Creighton University, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 5–7 p.m., Creighton Library, Union Pacific Room. can be found at Information

www.peacecorps.gov and by calling 1.800.424-8580 (option 1). The Central High School Alumni Association will hold its Hall of Fame dinner on Thursday, Oct. 6, 6:30 p.m., in the CHS courtyard. Among the honorees to be inducted at the 7:30 p.m. ceremony are the late Harold Cooperman, class of ’33, and Omaha Steaks owners Alan, Fred and Steve Simon, with their father, the late Lester Simon, class of ’24. Cooperman, who graduated at the age of 15, worked for his uncle Al Wohlner before opening his own grocery store inn 1938. During World War II, he served as the manager of the base kitchen in Guam. His grocery store chain, renamed No Frills in 1980, has expanded to 14 stores.

Fred, Alan, and Steve Simon J.J. Simon founded Table Supply Meats with his son, B.A. Simon in 1917. Expanding the operation into direct mail, Lester Simon changed the company’s name to Omaha Steaks in 1952. The fourth generation includes Alan, class of ’52, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and was awarded a Volunteer of the Year award from President Bush; Fred, class of ’55, who also graduated from Penn, is the author of several cookbooks and serves on the boards of Opera Omaha Foundation and the Joslyn Art Museum; and Steve, class of ’57, a graduate of Indiana University, who serves on the board of the Jewish Press, the Arizona Symphony and Arizona Center for Performing Arts. For ticket information to the Hall of Fame event, call Judy Blazek at 397.4444.

September 23, 2005

Temple High Holiday Services Includes Everyone from Tots to Grandmothers by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator On Erev Rosh Hashanah, Monday, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m., Temple Israel will celebrate the new year, 5766, marking the beginning of the 10-day period of prayer, self-examination, and repentance. Sitter service will be available that evening for children, one to ten years old. All adult worship services are open to the entire community during the High Holy Days. On Rosh Hashanah, Tuesday, Oct. 4, a High Holy Day Service will begin at 9 a.m. for children who are five years old and younger. They will meet in the Livingston Chapel to enjoy a story and learn about the meaning of the Season of Awe from a child’s point of view. For young learners in kindergarten through fourth grade, a children’s service in the sanctuary will begin at 9 a.m. Clergy will lead young congregants and their parents as they explore the themes of the Jewish New Year. Following the service, children are invited to join specialists from the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center and participate in holiday-based activities such as crafts in an enrichment program. Sitter service for one to four-year-olds will begin at 10 a.m. so parents can attend the adult morning service which begins at 10:15 a.m. in the sanctuary. At the same time, a family youth service, written and led by Omaha Temple Youth Group members and Rabbi Craig Marantz, will focus on liturgy and music appropriate for fifth graders and older students. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children to this moving service in the chapel. Shabbat Shuva, on Friday, Oct. 7, 6 p.m., the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, is known as the Sabbath of Return. It emphasizes the return to values which enhance life and its meaning. Following the Shabbat morning service on Saturday, Oct. 8, 10:30 a.m., families will observe tashlich together at the Elmwood Park stream. This brief service centers on the custom of casting pieces of bread, which symbolize sins, into the brook. Tashlich is an opportunity to throw away transgressions and begin the year afresh. Families are also encouraged to attend the Memorial Service together on Sunday, Oct. 9, 1 p.m., at the Temple Israel Cemetery, 6412 No. 42nd St. “We need to educate the next generation about the importance of remembrance. In a world where instant gratification replaces lasting relationships, it is the kaddish, the yahrzeit, and the visits to the cemetery that will help us remain human,” emphasized Rabbi Aryeh Azriel. Two Kol Nidre services will begin at 6 and 8:15 p.m. respectively on Wednesday, Oct. 12. That evening, Temple Israel grandmothers will be honored when they are invited to the bimah to hold the Torahs. “Jewish women have long been responsible for transmitting Jewish values from one generation to the next. This is an amazing opportunity to acknowledge that contribution

to the history of the Jewish people,” said Temple’s Program Director Rosie Zweiback. Yom Kippur morning, Thursday, Oct. 13, 9 a.m., Temple again will provide a worship service for tots five and younger in the chapel. At the same time, a Yom Kippur children’s service for kindergartners through fourth graders and their parents will be held in the sanctuary. The morning service for adults begins at 10:15 a.m. in the sanctuary. An alternate service starts at the same time in the chapel. Sitter service for children four and younger will be provided at 10 a.m. Older children, through fourth grade, are invited to the enrichment program at 10 a.m. David Jacobson will moderate this year’s thought-provoking ethics panel on “Peace in Israel: At what Price? Focus on Disengagement and Democracy.” The clergy and congregants will be on the panel which follows the morning services. At 1:30 p.m., Nova String Quartet will present a peaceful interlude in the chapel featuring music written by Jewish composers or focusing on Jewish themes. Also in the chapel, Moments of Remembrance, a preparation for Yizkor in the company and comfort of a community of mourners, begins at 2:30 p.m. In a supportive and caring setting, congregants share memories and feelings about family and friends who have died recently or in the past. Those who attend are encouraged to bring a picture or memento to help convey the essence of their deceased loved ones. Families with children in grades five and above as well as adults of all ages will enjoy the Family Youth Service at 2:30 p.m. in the sanctuary, followed by the afternoon service starting at 3:30 p.m. Yizkor is expected to begin at 5 p.m. At 5:30 p.m., Neilah and Havdalah will be led by Temple’s fifth and sixth graders. Anyone who has no destination to break the fast is welcome to remain at Temple for the meal. Please make a reservation by calling the Temple office at 556.6536 or by email at mkube@templeisraelomaha.com. Temple will again participate, along with hundreds of other Reform congregations, in the national “High Holy Day Hunger Project.” Grocery bags, donated by Bag ‘n Save, will be distributed at the conclusion of the Erev Rosh Hashanah service. On Yom Kippur, they are asked to return the bags filled with healthy non-perishable food for the Omaha Food Bank. Trucks will be located in the Temple parking lot, at First United Methodist Church, and at the Omaha Community Playhouse where volunteers will assist in loading the bags. Simultaneous signing for the hearing impaired will be provided at the 7:30 p.m. Erev Rosh Hashanah Service, at the 6 p.m. Kol Nidre Service, and at the morning and Family Youth Service on both Holy Days. Anyone who needs a reserved seat at the front of the sanctuary to observe the signing, can call the Temple office.

EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE The Jewish Press will be closed for all the Jewish holidays: Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 4-5 for Rosh Hashanah, Thursday, Oct. 13 for Yom Kippur, Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 18-19 for Sukkot and Oct. 25-26 for Shemini Azeret and Simchat Torah. Because of the holidays, the deadlines for upcoming issues is noon as follows: Issue Deadline Issue Deadline Oct 14 Monday, Oct. 3 Wednesday, Sept. 28 Oct. 7 Oct. 28 Monday, Oct. 17 Oct. 21 Education and Camp Issue Monday, Oct. 10

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 11

Jewish Community Welcomes New Director of Girls and Boys Town

Marty Ricks, left, Executive Director of the Foundation of the Jewish Federation, organized a luncheon and tour of the Jewish Community Center for Father Steven Boes, right, Girls and Boys Town’s newest director. Father Boes, who began his duties just three months ago, also brought Dr. Patrick Brookhauser, who is responsible for the health and research division, and Dr. Dan Daly, head of the organization’s youth services. Ricks expressed hope that the Federation and Centers of Excellence and Girls and Boys Town would find new areas of cooperation because of the proximity both and their long standing history.

Beth El Women’s Rosh Hodesh Group Shares Holiday Memories by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Looking back at High Holidays memories will be the focus of the next Beth El Women’s Rosh Hodesh meeting, Monday, Oct. 10, at the home of Sylvia Jess, 740 Sunset Trail. Jess’s co-hosts for the evening event will be Rita Novak and Blanche Wise; social hour is at 7 p.m., and the meeting follows at 7:30 p.m. Participants are invited to share their Jewish holiday memories--from poignant, serious and sentimental to humorous recollections. To RSVP, contact Jess at 556.0880 or sjess@iopener.net; or Novak at ZadyH@aol.com.

ENGAGEMENT RUSSO/DEPORTE Lindsey Russo and Alexander Russo of Shaker Heights, OH, announce the engagement of their daughter, Kara, to Alan DePorte, son of Pam and Dennis DePorte. The bride-to-be received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Indiana University and is a recruiter for Keystone Partnership in St. Louis, MO. She is the granddaughter of Richard and Lois Rice, Tony Russo, all of Cleveland, OH, and the late Angela Russo. Her fiance graduated from Indiania University with a BA in sports broadcasting and communication. He is the sales manager for Worldwide Express in St. Louis. He is the grandson of Louise Martin and the late Elvin Martin, the late Esther DePorte and the late Stan Kahn. A wedding is planned for Dec. 31 in Cleveland, OH.

Page 12

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

September 23, 2005

Give Others the Benefit of the Doubt Barbara Bush, mother of the sitting President George W. Bush, was roundly criticized for her comment on the American Public Media’s “Marketplace” program, a week after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. Her comment: “Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them,” was insensitive and the timing (following the massive failure of government--at every level) couldn’t have been worse, especially for her son. But was she wrong? What if she had said instead: “The victims of Hurricane Katrina are so overwhelmed by the hospitality being offered. Regardless of race or socio-economic level of the victims, the offers of help are coming from everyone: white, black, brown, rich and poor. Americans are reaching out to help, to open their homes, to give blood and donations of clothing, jobs, housing and money. Even our friends overseas are offering to help. “And while no one, certainly not the victims, asked for this powerful storm to destroy their homes, business, yes, even their lives--in a sense, this dark cloud has a silver lining.” Would she have been criticized for saying that? Okay, yes, probably the media and strident politicians still would not have given her the benefit of the doubt. But let’s take a second look at her statement. We all know by now that the burden of this tragedy has, like all natural disasters, fallen on

the poor. They are, after all, the least likely to have the means to take steps to protect themselves. In New Orleans, they were the ones without transportation and sufficient funds to evacuate before the storm hit. They were the ones on welfare, living in public housing, or were elderly, disabled or infirm and did not have even the physical where-with-all to leave, let alone the financial. Could this forceful storm actually be a second chance for many of these victims? Think about it: many of those who were transported to Houston’s Astrodome and shelters across Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, and Georgia are now at the front of the line for help. For many, that has meant health evaluations, inoculations and medicine for the first time in years. Instead of living in slums, many are now in apartments, hotels, or newer public housing stock; they’re being offered jobs and educational opportunities and their children are in schools in good districts. This can be a second chance...if they’re willing to take it. They do not have to return to the way of life to which they seemed predestined; they can start over. And we hope they do. What about us? Is Hurricane Katrina a wake-up call for the rest of us, too? Are there destructive habits in our lives we’ve held onto for too long? Are we looking to blame others for our fail-

(Founded in 1920)

ures instead of admitting our wrong doing and making amends? We have only 11 days until the beginning of a new Jewish year; 11 days to apologize to others; 11 days to make new resolutions we’ll actually fulfill in 5766. We’re willing to give Barbara Bush the benefit of the doubt. And, in the spirit of reconciliation, we offer our apologies to our readers for any mistakes we’ve made in this past year.

Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Committee, the Jewish Federation of Omaha or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment.

Gaza, New Orleans, and the High Holidays

JOURNAL ENTRY FROM ISRAEL by TEDDY WEINBERGER The disengagement from Gaza and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina provide us with a stark lesson on the appropriate use of theology. As we head into the High Holidays this year, with the chilling “Unesaneh Tokef” prayer that speaks of “who shall perish by fire and who by water,” this is an especially timely discussion. From prehistoric times human beings have used religion to cope with nature and with tragedy. And while it is true that some critics of religion (Sigmund Freud, for example) feel that the mature thing to do is not to rely upon religion since it has no basis in science, even these critics agree that as a reaction to tragedy and as a way of dealing with it, theology and religion are useful. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the religious may find solace in their belief that God still controls the universe; the non-religious will have to develop other coping mechanisms to deal with the tragedy. Now let’s take a look at the case of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. A huge difference here is the fact that theology was put into use in advance of a looming event. The faithful invoked their belief in God as testimony to the impossibility of the disengagement’s taking place. One of the area’s most prominent rabbis stood before his congregation and promised that the disengagement would be averted through a miracle so pronounced that all would have to acknowledge God’s hand in it. What’s wrong with that, you ask? After all, here too faith was used as a way to deal with a highly stressful situation. It’s true that Judaism maintains that there is always room for prayer: “even if a sharp sword is touching your throat, it is forbidden to lose hope,” according to Jewish tradition.

However, Judaism has also been extremely sensitive to how its adherents are perceived. Pious people are instructed not only to be scrupulously honest but also to be exceedingly clean, lest someone cast aspersions on the entire religion due to an act of dishonesty or a speck of dirt. What are we to make, therefore, of the public expression, made by thousands in the months, weeks and days leading up to the disengagement, of a belief that God will not allow the evacuation to happen? What are we to make of the actions committed and omitted to back up this belief (in contradiction to the traditional Jewish counsel of “one does no rely upon a miracle”): the refusal to pack up one’s belongings, the preparation for next year’s agricultural season? Just a few days before the disengagement began, a whole crop of cherry tomatoes was planted and a new mikvah was dedicated. What would we have thought about a New Orleans faith community that did something similar two days before the National Hurricane Center predicted a landing?

...God’s ways are mysterious. I just wish that beforehand, (Israelis in Gaza) had treated disengagement like a natural disaster, like an official hurricane warning. Yes, this summer did not see Jewish theology at its best. It was easy to be cynical about religion this summer in Israel, easy to think how religion is just a tool to suit a person’s needs. In the aftermath of their evacuation from Gaza, the religious are finding comfort in theology that says that God’s ways are mysterious. I just wish that beforehand, they had treated the disengagement like a natural disaster, like an official hurricane warning. For the faithful from New Orleans the belief that somehow Hurricane Katrina fits into God’s plan will be helpful to them.

Joanie Jacobson Chairman Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Managing Editor Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Managing Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper Jason Rich Sales & Marketing Intern Jewish Press Committee Howard K. Marcus, Vice-Chairman; Bobbi Leibowitz, Secretary; Scott Meyerson, Finance Chairman; Steve Simon, Treasurer; Fred Tichauer, Immediate Past-chairman; David Herzog; Jamie Meyerson; Stanley Mitchell; George Quittner; Linda Saltzman; Joe Shyken; Michael Siegal; Nancy Skid; Dorothy Spizman; and Melany Weinstine. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Centers of Excellence of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Educational and Library Services, Jewish Family Service, and Jewish Senior Services. The Jewish Press is a constitutional committee of the Jewish Federation.

For all of us, harsh lessons have been learned about what human beings must do in order to mitigate the effects of inevitable natural disasters. For the Jew on the High Holidays, there is also the hope expressed at the end of the Unesaneh Tokef: “But repentance, prayer and charity cancel the stern decree.” Shana Tova.

LETTER TO THE

EDITOR

To the Editor: Why is it important for the Omaha Jewish community to come together? When is our collective voice important? What is the role of that united voice? Once defined, who is responsible for initiating and facilitating those needs? Omaha is blessed with an incredible Jewish community. Every one of the synagogues in our community is “healthy”. Our Jewish Federation is strong. As institutions we all do great work. We are recognized by our national movements as vibrant, dedicated and thriving. My sincere gratitude to the professional and lay leadership of all of our institutions for building a firm foundation upon which we deeply rely. It has been the custom that it is the “job” of the Federation to bring us together and speak for us collectively. I offer that partnership as defined by The American Heritage dictionary is a relationship between individuals or groups that is characterized by mutual cooperation and responsibility, as for the achievement of a specified goal. I offer that as partners the synagogues with the Federation are equally accountable for this endeavor. I urge the partnership of our communities’ professional and lay leadership to call for the question. As we begin the Days of Awe, I pray that we celebrate our individual strengths and reflect on the importance of our collective future. Wendy Goldberg

Editorial The Jewish Press is a Constitutional Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, noon, eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1-402-334-5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org.. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be singlespaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions, but should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For more information, contact Carol Katzman, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $31 per calendar year U.S.; $35 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.

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September 23, 2005

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

Page 13

In Exile How Does a Jewish Community without a City Rebuild Itself from Afar?

BEHIND THE HEADLINES by GAIL NARON CHALEW Special to the Baltimore Jewish Times llan Bissinger was installed as the new president of the New Orleans Jewish Federation in an unconventional way. At the exact time when the federation’s annual meeting was scheduled, he was having dinner in Baton Rouge with his predecessor, Bobby Garon, and several representatives of United Jewish Communities, the national organization for Jewish federations. In lieu of a gavel, Garon handed him a napkin wrapped around silverware and thus passed him the reins of leadership. Bissinger is living in Baton Rouge temporarily, the offices of the New Orleans federation are based in Houston, and the members of the New Orleans Jewish community are now living in 70 communities across the country. This is definitely not business as usual. When asked how the federation is handling this unprecedented situation,Sherri Tarr, the former Women’s Campaign and Young Leadership director, said, “With a lot of patience, not much sleep and lots of sechel [common sense].” In the first few days after Hurricane Katrina, pikkuach nefesh, the Jewish concept of the sanctity of a human life, was the Jewish federation’s first priority. Adam Bronstone, the federation’s community relations director, worked closely with the National Guard, directing it to the homes of stranded Jewish elderly shut-ins and helping in the evacuation to Houston of 300 residents of the Jewish nursing home, Woldenberg Village. Unfortunately, two residents died en route. Once everyone was evacuated, the focus shifted to finding out where people relocated and helping people find their family and friends. (New contact information for community members can be found on the federation’s Web site, www.jewishnola.com, and it is updated daily.) Just managing the flood of communication--from those offering to help and those needing help-has been overwhelming. Eric Stillman, executive director of the New Orleans Jewish Federation, likens it to a “tsunami of communication, which has erupted from having 10,000 Jews scattered all across the country. Managing it requires a corps of volunteers from Houston and from New Orleans who have resettled in Houston.” The Jewish federation is also serving as a clearinghouse for community resources, matching people with available housing and jobs. As they enter the fourth week of the post-Katrina era, the Federation and its agencies are shifting focus once again, moving beyond survival needs to assessing the damage and planning for the future. The Jewish communal professionals charged with running these agencies are also gaining focus as well. As Deena Gerber, Executive Director of New Orleans’ Jewish Family Service who is now living in Atlanta with her son and his family, said, “Before I couldn’t focus on anything for more than 15 seconds. Now, I am up to 60 seconds at a time.” Several factors make this focus so difficult to achieve. The first is that the scale of this disaster is unprecedented in recent American history. How do you rebuild a community from scratch when its leaders are located from 80 to 350 miles away, and you are still looking for its members? Furthermore, the cloud of uncertainty is all enveloping, and the Jewish community

is not the master of its own fate. Though much of the Jewish community infrastructure seems to have fared relatively well, the decsion to reopen those buildings will be based on when basic services will be restored and when the government will allow people to return. What makes this task immeasurably more difficult is that the community leaders are themselves victims. “How can I help Tulane students cope with their displacement when my family has been displaced as well, when my kids have been ripped from their lives, too, and I need to help them adjust to a new home and a new school?” asked Paige Nathan, Executive Director of Hillel of New Orleans. “What I have been telling my four staff members over and over again is that they have to take care of their own needs first.” Added Jody Portnoff, Hillel’s Program Director, “The students need me to build them up, to help them go forward with their lives. But I don’t know if I have it in me to build them up when I need that support as well. “And it is difficult for us in the helping professions, who are so used to giving help, to ask for and receive help.” Earlier this week, after receiving tetanus and Hepatitis A and B inoculations, Stillman, Bronstone and Mark Rubenstein, Executive Director of the country’s third oldest synagogue, New Orleans’ Touro Synagogue, flew into the flooded city accompanied by the Baton Rouge sheriff’s staff to assess the damage. Synagogues in Uptown and the Uptown Jewish Community Center campus suffered minimal damage. Synagogues in Metairie and the new Jewish community campus there, which houses the Metairie JCC, the New Orleans Jewish Day School and the federation offices, took in some water; flooring and sheetrock will have to be replaced. Unfortunately, Beth Israel, the only synagogue located in the Lakeview area near the levee breach, may have to be razed. “We have unconfirmed information that because of the extensive flooding in that area that all the homes and buildings in that area will be razed completely. There was a large concentration of Jewish families in that area that will now be left homeless,” said Stillman. Baton Rouge, 80 miles up the Mississippi River from New Orleans, is quickly becoming the new nerve center of the area’s Jewish community. JFS, the Foundation and the New Orleans Federation are in the process of setting up offices there, with assistance from United Jewish Communities and the local federation. It is estimated that about 1,000 members of New Orleans’ 10,000-member Jewish community are now living in the Louisiana capital, which has its own Jewish community of approximately 1,500. Some people speculate that many Jews from New Orleans will permanently move to Baton Rouge The only sure thing is that the face of New Orleans’ Jewish agencies will change. Gerber, of JFS, explained, “Our clients will be different, our staff will no doubt be different as several may choose to relocate, and our services will be different. “While we have always offered financial assistance, it has been for the very poorest of the poor Jews, for whom $500-$1,000 makes a big difference. Now, we will need to get the middle class up and running, and those needs will be larger. We anticipate putting together packages of loans and grants for them, just like people put together for college. “Before Katrina, we were already treating a six-year-old boy in counseling who had weather-phobia. Can you imagine how he is faring, and how many more children and

adults will need such help? How will schoolchildren, who lost their faith in government because of how it responded to the storm victims, react when they have to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning? “Pre-Katrina, we had a very comprehensive teen suicide prevention program that reached more than 7,000 high school students each year. Next year, when the need will be stronger than ever, where will its funding come from? That is what keeps me up at night.” Hillel of New Orleans is connecting with the 2,000 Jewish students enrolled at Tulane University, albeit “virtually” for the most part, and from Baltimore, not from its building just off campus. Nathan, Hillel’s Director, is currently living in Baltimore with family members, and Hillel’s program director, Jody Portnoff, will be relocating temporarily here. As Nathan said with a rueful smile, “This is not the job we signed up for, but it is the job we need to do.” The first priority is to identify where students are now enrolled and to encourage the Hillels on those campuses to reach out to them. One positive factor is that many Jewish students who had never before been involved in Tulane’s Hillel have contacted Nathan, and she is adding them to her database. In the coming weeks, Hillel staff members plan to go down the list and call as many students as possible, to offer support and match them with resources at the school they are attending. In collaboration with Hillel International and relief agencies on the ground, Portnoff will be planning alternative winter and spring breaks for stu-

dents from across the country to perform community service in devastated Gulf Coast communities. In the coming months, Nathan said she hopes to travel to campuses where there are sizable Tulane contingents, helping them strengthen not only their Jewish identity but also their Tulane Jewish identity. The first such meeting was held at Stevenson’s Chizuk Amuno Synagogue with about 35 Baltimore-area Jewish parents whose children attend Tulane, as well as those Tulane students who are studying locally this semester at Goucher College and Johns Hopkins University. Janet Kurland and Harriet Schlein of the Jewish Community Critical Incident Response Team, based at JFS here, offered tips for coping with trauma and stress, and Nathan outlined the initiatives of New Orleans Hillel. (For information, call JFS at 410.843.7420.) Parents of freshmen who were in New Orleans just before the hurricane struck shared their evacuation experiences; those whose children did not evacuate with them shared their fears and worry. Yet, all the parents interviewed said they had no qualms about sending their children back to Tulane when the university opens. In fact, several shared this sentiment, expressed by Lee Meyerhoff Hendler, whose daughter, Josepha, is now spending the first semester of her freshman year at a university in Costa Rica: “Being in a city that is totally rebuilding itself will be a remarkable learning opportunity. If there is any silver lining in this disaster, it is the opportunity for students to become involved with and learn from this rebuilding.”

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Page 14

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

September 23, 2005

Candlelighting Friday, September 23, 7:01 p.m.

Synagogue Listings B’nai Israel Synagogue 618 Mynster St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com

Beth El Synagogue Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org

Beth Israel Synagogue Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific St. Omaha, NE. 68154 556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org

Beyt Shalom An Affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation 3012 S. 119 St. P.O. Box 390352 Omaha, NE 68139 660.2395 www.beytshalomomaha.org

Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 nebraskajudaism.com email: chabad@aol.com

Congregation B’nai Jeshurun South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 S. 20th St. Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435.8004 jewishnebraska.org

Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244

Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 333 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154

Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org

The Neighborhood Minyan

B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Shabbat Services, 7:30 p.m.

BETH EL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation (37), 10 a.m.; K’tantan (K-2), 10:45 a.m.; Kiddush is sponsored by Helen Epstein, in honor of her husband, Tuffy, on his birthday; Evening Service, 7:10 p.m. Sitter Service is available during Friday night and Saturday morning services, on a drop-in basis, at no charge. SUNDAY: Bible Study Class with Leonard Greenspoon, 10 a.m.; “Living Hebrew,” with Susi Frydman-Levin, 10 a.m.; Adult B’nai Mitzvah class with Cantor Bogomolni, 10 a.m.; Jewish Pot Pourri Class, 11 a.m.; “From Your Heart to God’s Ears”, led by Andy Greenberg, 11 a.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sunday, 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Weekdays, 6:55 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. PATTER: Wednesdays, 10:45 a.m.-noon. for children ages 18 months to three, led by Helen Epstein, open to all in the Jewish community. (Because of the High Holidays, PATTER will not be held during October; it resumes Nov. 2). SELICHOT SERVICE: On Saturday, Sept. 24, 9 p.m. (see article on page 4). BESTT “BRING YOUR PARENTS TO SCHOOL” DAY: On Sunday, Sept. 25, 10 a.m. to noon, families with students in K-7 grade are invited to this open house. Parents are asked to meet in the chapel at 10 a.m. USY SPAGHETTI LUNCH: On Sunday, Sept. 25, noon to 1:30 p.m.(see article on page 11). SISTERHOOD: Sunday Sept. 25, Sisterhood will be filling honey bottles and packing them for pre-Rosh Hashanah deliveries. To help out, please e-mail Amy Reynolds: a.d.reynolds@cox.net. WOMEN’S ROSH HODESH GROUP: Monday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m. (see article on page 15). HIGH HOLIDAYS YOUTH PROGRAM: For preschool-sixth grade attending High Holidays

1317 No. 57 St. Omaha, NE 68132 551.6609

Prayerbooks Available for Visually Impaired

Tifereth Israel

The Jewish Heritage for the Blind announced the availability of the High Holiday Machzor in large print and in Braille free of charge for all those who need them. Due to the high expense involved a doctor’s note stating necessity is required. The JHB has striven to help the visually impaired community stay connected with their heritage by producing special publications in braille and in large print all at no cost to their recipients. To receive a complimentary Machzor contact our office at 718.338.4999; or fax 718.338.0653; or e-mail to Jewishheritage@gmail.com

Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 www.tiferethlincoln.org

Memorial Services will be held in the chapel at

Mount Sinai Cemetery, 78th and Crown Point Sunday, Oct. 2, noon Rabbi Jonathan Gross will officiate.

services, age-appropriate activities will include games, story-telling and music. The youth program is 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Rosh Hashanah; 10 a.m -1 p.m. on Yom Kippur. Cost is $18 or one hour of adult volunteer time per child. Babysitting is available for infants and babies; for reservations, contact Program Director Margie Gutnik at the office. BREAK-THE-FAST: Hazak will sponsor its annual Break-theFast meal following Ne’ilah services, Oct. 13. Cost is $10.50 for adults; $5.50 for children ages 10 and younger. Reservations are required and may be made by sending a check to Natalie Rubin, 2004 So. 138 Ave. Cir., Omaha NE 68144. For information, call Gloria Goodman, 333.3351.

BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Office Hours: MondayThursday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat, 7 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free Babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10:30 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Dr. Evan Varkony in commemoration of the yahrzeits of Elizabeth Varkony and Nicholas Varkony; Mincha, 7 p.m.; Havdalah, 7:59 p.m.; Selichot, 11:15 p.m., led by visiting chazzan, Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Contact the office for Mincha/ Ma’ariv time. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 6:40 a.m.; Contact the office for Mincha/Ma’ariv time. Rabbi Gross will be in Israel through Sept. 28.

BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: Shabbat in the Home.

CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. FRIDAY: Minyan, 7 a.m.; Ima & Me, 10:30–11:45 a.m. SATURDAY: Maamar class, 9 a.m.; Services, 9:30 a.m., fol-

PERSONALS We would like to express our deepest appreciation and gratitude to all those who supported and prayed during our son, Adam’s recent hospitalization. Denise, Howard, Stephanie, Allison, and Adam Lehman

Many thanks for all the donations, get well cards, prayers, flowers, gifts and the interest of Rabbi Levine, Rabbi Gross, and Cantor Fettman during my recent surgery and recovBill Cohen ery.

My sincerest thanks to my family and many friends for your kind and caring expressions of sympathy on the loss of my sister-inlaw, Dorothy. Your cards, flowers, donations, gifts and good wishes for my recovery are Vera Lewis very much appreciated.

lowed by a Kiddush luncheon. SUNDAY: Services, 8:30 a.m.; Mishne class, 9:30 a.m.; Chabad Cheder and Aleph Champions, 10 a.m.-noon; Gan Israel Club Kick Off, 3-5 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Minyan, 7 a.m. MONDAY: Halacha, 7 p.m. TUESDAY: Torah Tots, 3:15 p.m. First of a 10-week series. WEDNESDAY: Spice & Spirit Cooking Club, 9:30 a.m.; Kabbalah Circle, 7 p.m. THURSDAY: Jewish Thought class, 12:45 p.m. For information or to register, call the office or visit: www.nebraskajudaism.com.

CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Services conducted by Rabbi Ilan Emanuel. FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:45 p.m., led by Rabbi Emanuel, with oneg following provided by Nancy Intermill. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m.; Slichot Service, 9 p.m. SUNDAY: Gan Simcha, grades K, and 4-7, 9:30 a.m.-noon, at Tifereth Israel; grades 1-3 and Hallah High, 9:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at B’nai Jeshurun; Temple Clean-up Day, 1-4 p.m. ADULT EDUCATION Tuesday, 7-9 p.m. series on the Shofar in preparation for the High Holy Days, led by Rabbi Emanuel. WEDNESDAY: Hebrew class (grades 2-7), 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel. THURSDAY: Choir Rehearsal, 7 p.m.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.

ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME SATURDAY: Shabbat Services, 9 a.m. led by Andy Greenberg; Slichot services, 8:15 p.m. led by Rabbi Maximo Shechet.

TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:30 p.m. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Rabbi Craig Marantz and Cantor Wendy Shermet will officiate. Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Martin Rosenberg will speak on “Jews and Sacred Space: The Synagogue in Jewish Life.” Oneg Shabbat is sponsored by Women of Reform Judaism-Omaha. SATURDAY: Sparks Beneath the Surface, 9:30-10:15 a.m.; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m.; S’lichot service, 7 p.m. “Looking Back: From Solomon’s Temple to Temple Israel: The Role of Synagogues in Jewish Survival” with reception following. Sitter Service: Available each Friday evening for the 7:30 p.m. service, Saturday mornings when there is a b’nai mitzvah, and Sunday mornings when there is Religious School. Reservations and a $5 donation are appreciated. Sorry, no facilities for infants. ADULT EDUCATION SUNDAY, Sept. 25, 10 a.m.Noon: The 4B's: Behaving, Belonging, Believing and Bagels. “Looking Forward: Recreating Temple Israel for the 21st Century” WEDNESDAY, Sept. 28, 6:30-8 p.m.: Love and Logic: Parenting Teens for the Real World, lead by Karen Gustafson.

NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN FRIDAY: Kabbalas Shabbos, 7 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharis, 9 a.m. There will be no services held in October.

TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Rabbi Royi Shaffin. Minyan, MONDAY & THURSDAY, 9 a.m. FRIDAY: Services, 8 p.m. with an Oneg following. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066.

Project Tzedakah Readies for Holidays by SHARON BARGAS JFS Program Coordinator Except for the shofar, there is no symbol more intrinsically connected to Rosh Hashanah than honey. At the holiday meals, we not only dip challah in honey, but it is traditional to also dip apples in honey. The special prayer that accompanies dipping of apples asks God to give us a good and sweet year, and the honey presumably symbolizes that sweetness. For some Jewish families, enjoying these traditions is a luxury because they cannot afford extra food for the holidays. For some families, it is the only connection to the Jewish community. One day in the month of September at Jewish Family Service’s office, volunteers work together in assembly-line fashion to package apples, honey, challah and other food items for a sweet holiday meal. The Rosh Hashanah

kits are aimed at low-income, possibly homebound, individuals and families in the community. Helping the needy is what Jewish Family Service (JFS) has been doing since its inception. The tradition of helping the community continues again this year with Project Tzedakah, which will take place on Monday-Tuesday, Sept. 26-27. Volunteers will deliver packages to more than 50 families and individuals. “Offering help to people is just a way of Jewish life,” says Tanya Seina, Project Tzedakah coordinator. “It is a mitzvah to help others who are in need.” Please call JFS at 330.2024 to volunteer or if you would like to be added to the list for holiday meals. If you would like to perform a mitzvah and make a contribution, call JFS or send monetary donations to: JFS, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154.

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September 23, 2005

A “To Do” List

SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat KiTavo We are all instinctively eager for immortality, of one kind or another. Here the Israelites, entering the Land, were to set up 12 great stones and inscribe them with all the words of “This Teaching.” You are left to determine for yourself the extent of “This Teaching.” Is it the whole Torah? Or is it only the words that begin the previous chapter with a brief history of the Israelites, that their ancestors were wandering Arameans--which we all know from the Passover Haggadah. Important in this chapter is the reciprocal affirmation: we affirm that the Lord is our God, and He affirms that we are His “am segula,” His own treasured people. He even calls Israel His “holy people.”

There follow “To Do” lists, a short list of blessings and an astonishing list, covering more than 50 verses of Tokhaha--warning. It is hard to read these 50 verses, because they contain curses that you never thought of before. But the Text itself has thought of everything, and you are diminshed even by reading the words on the page. We have certainly not forgotten Katrina and the devastation it wrought to a sensitive part of our country. One might read these 50 or so verses of the Tokhaha with Katrina in mind. For the destruction of the hurricane is echoed in the verses of the warning. I am not among those who say that the devastation visited upon the Gulf area is the response of an angry God to mankind’s sinfulness. I am saying only that the devastation viewed in the Tokhaha is of a kind actually suffered in our day, in our land. Not belittling the loss of life and treasure, we in this great land still affirm that the Lord has blessed it beyond what we have deserved. Let our land remain shining with “freedom’s holy light.”

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CAROLYN A. KULESH COHEN Carolyn Cohen died Sept. 5 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Services were held there Sept. 7 at the Star of David Funeral Home with Rabbi Loring Frank officiating. She was the owner of Kulesh Jewelry, located in Council Bluffs, IA. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ben Cohen. She is survived by her son, Gerald Cohen of Bloomington, MN; daughter, Janice Klein of Gloucester, MA; and brother Mort Kulesh of Scottsdale, AZ. Memorials to charity of choice. LEE E. FERER Former Omahan Lee Ferer died in Phoenix, AZ, on Sept. 9. Services were held Sept. 11 at Beth Israel Cemetery there. She was preceded in death by her husband, Morton Ferer.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Jerry and Marsha Ferer; daughter and son-in-law, Joyce and Marty Miller; grandchildren, Scott, Doug, Michael and Adam; five great-grandchildren. Memorials to Shaarie Tzedek Congregation, 7608 No. 18 Ave., Phoeniz, AZ 85021. SYLVIA MOSS Former Omahan Sylvia Moss died Sept. 9 in Coral Springs at the age of 79. Services were held Sept. 12 at Star of David Cemetery in North Lauderdale, FL. She was preceded in death by her husband, Irving Moss. She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Gail and Jack Kerwin, Steff and Ed Shrago of Las Vegas, NV, and Robin and Jeff Cook of Coral Springs, FL; grandchildren, Kimberley Kerwin, Jamie and Laynie Shrago of Las Vegas; and one great-grandchild. Memorials to Friends of the Fox, a head injury support group, 7551 Lawndale Dr., Omaha, NE 68134.

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Cooperman Dead at 87 Continued from page 1 nearly 30 years. By 1967, he had built a chain of eight stores: five in Omaha, one in Bellevue and one each in Ashland and Blair. In 1968, he sold four of the Omaha stores to Fleming Company. In 1980, after researching the relatively new concept of warehouse stores, he opened his first ‘No Frills’ at 18th and Broadway in Council Bluffs. His wife, Merriam, came up with the name for the new store. In an interview in the Jewish Press in 1993, he said that working was his hobby and had no intention of retiring. Then, at age 75, he insisted he didn’t want to stay home and wait to die. His success in business was attributed to his “people skills.” Many times, he would stop to hold a baby or give candy to small children. He worked 11hour days and said he was having a good time! He always spoke with pride of the technical innovations that saved money in grocery stores. His stores were the first in Omaha to have automatic meat wrapping machines that printed the price code on the labels. He later instituted an automatic payroll system that cut labor costs. In addition to his business expertise, Harold had a lighter side. He was an ardent baseball fan who once bragged that he attended 14 straight World Series Games. In addition, he rarely missed a Nebraska Cornhuskers football game. Years ago, he could be seen driving a bright blue Cadillac around Omaha. He and Merriam traveled all over the world before she was stricken with arthritis. He was a voracious handball player until he lost the sight in his left eye in an automobile accident. He always said there weren’t too many people who could beat him at the game! That comedic side was also evidenced in the television ads for ‘No Frills’, where Cooperman was featured as a cowboy, Elvis Presley and other selected characters. Because of Merriam’s condition, Harold took over the cooking and other household chores. Before her death, Merriam described her husband as, “very kind and considerate.” She suffered a stroke in 1993 and never completely recovered from it. Harold remained her caretak-

er in their family home until her death in August of 1999. They were married for 61 years. Cooperman always wanted to give something back to the communities where he did business. He donated money for land for the fire station and city hall in Ashland. In Denison, he sometimes bought as many as a dozen animals at the annual 4-H livestock show. Harold served as board chairman of United A-G Cooperative Inc., an Omaha-based grocery distributing company that supplied 150 grocery stores. He performed this job for 22 years, without pay. He was also a founder of the River City National Bank. He was an active member of Beth El Synagogue and sold hundreds of tickets for the annual B’nai B’rith Sports Banquet. As a community-minded citizen of Jewish Omaha, he also made a large donation to Beth Israel’s building fund. But one story sticks out. In 1988, he donated 2,000 pounds of meat to the Open Door Mission when his east Omaha store went without power during a July storm. He kept the meat on dry ice and rented five refrigerated trucks until the meat could be transported to the mission. The manager of the mission said that Cooperman had donated meat many times before and estimated that they had received somewhere between 3,500 and 5,000 pounds of meat on various occasions. During the time of the storm, they served 125 to 175 people at each meal because of the No Frills’ donation. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Fran and Rich Juro and; grandchildren, Kevin Juro, Kimara and Kevin Clark, Keri Juro; three great-grandchildren; and a sister, Helen Gould of Laguna Hills, CA. Memorials to the Harold and Merriam Cooperman Senior Service Fund at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.

To Submit an Obituary Notice: Send to the Jewish Press via e-mail: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; fax: 402.334.5422; or mail, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; or log on to www.jewishomaha.org and click on ‘Jewish Press’, and then Submit announcements. Call 402.334.6448 for more information.

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Page 16

Jewish Press, Omaha, NE

September 23, 2005

Chabad Draws a Crowd at 18th Anniversary Celebration by CAROL KATZMAN Editor of the Jewish Press More than 260 guests crowded the Forte Center, Omaha’s newest venue, for a gala kosher dinner honoring Rabbi Mendel and Shani Katzman. Arriving here 18 years ago, the Katzmans quickly developed friends in both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities, as evidenced by the cross section of Omahans at last week’s celebration. But the highlight of the night had to be the presentations to the honorees: Shirley and Leonard “Buddy” Goldstein and Dr. Harold and Beverly Maurer.

called ‘Buddy’--you’re the buddy of everyone in Omaha; for every cause, Buddy’s there! As to Shirley, 20 years ago she enlisted me in helping to raise two million dollars to bring the Jews out of the former Soviet Union. Because of her efforts, we were able to resettle more than 300 here in Omaha.” Fellman was honorary co-chairman with his wife, Darlynn, and longtime friends and community leaders, Joe and Maxine Kirshenbaum. “Israel has Golda Meir,” Fellman added, “and the Catholics have Mother Theresa, but we have Shirley Goldstein!”

Photos from top left: Tom Fellman, left, one of the honorary co-chairman of the event, presented an original papercut to Shirley and Buddy Goldstein, who accepted it with their grandchildren: Zak and Molly Helm; Shani Katzman thanks volunteer organizers of the gala; Rabbi Mendel Katzman opened the celebration with the blowing of the shofar--done “We got out (of the former Soviet Union) because of Shirley and Buddy,” said Anna Yuz Mosenkis, originally from Kiev. “They brought attention to the ‘mess’ that was the USSR. “Our first Shabbat dinner in Omaha was at the Katzman home,” Mosenkis added. “All night long, my mother cried recalling th Yiddish her parents spoke. Four months later, she died of cancer, but at least it was here, in America.” In presenting the “My Brothers’ Keeper Award” to the Goldsteins, Tom Fellman noted, “I know why you’re

of the University of Nebraska Medical Center “was a transforming moment,” according to presenter Harlan Noddle. “He can see ahead, but equally important, he knows how to fulfill his agenda.” Noddle, a member of the UNMC Board of Directors, announced that under Maurer’s leadership, the medical center has merged Clarkson and University Hospital, built and opened the Lied Transplant Center and the Durham Research Center and has obtained research grant income of $80 million a year in 2005. “Research (building) II is scheduled and we expect to hit $200 mil-

every day in the month of Elul preceding the High Holidays. Bottom left: UNMC ob-gyn Dr. Carl Smith presents a papercut to honorees Bev and Dr. Harold Maurer, who note the special attention UNMC paid to the Katzman family before and after the birth of their youngest child, Zalman, here held by oldest daughter, Estie; Chabad development volunteer

Joan Darling, the mother of a daughter diagnosed with rhadomysarcoma, a childhood muscle cancer, expressed her gratitude to Dr. Maurer--a specialist in this debilitating, sometimes fatal cancer. Darling and her husband, both PhDs, researched the cancer after their daughter’s diagnoses and were shocked that the disease has a 50% fatality rate. However, “this is the ninth anniversary of Allison’s diagnosis,” Darling told the crowd, “and thanks to Dr. Maurer, she remains cancer free.” The arrival of Maurer as the chancellor

the Noddles for embracing them as members of their family and for the leadership of others like “Mike and Gail Yanney who are here with us tonight,” Dr. Maurer said. “We’re fortunate to have the Katzmans here, not only in Omaha, but in Nebraska. Rabbi Katzman is someone who respects who you are, not someone interested in making you into someone else. Just recently, a med student from Hastings told me about his encounter with Rabbi Katzman. I felt really good about that.” In closing the program, Rabbi Katzman said of the honorees, “these are couples

Marcy Cotton chats with World-Herald columnist Mike Kelley; two of the Katzman girls, center--Devorah and Miriam--chat with auction volunteer Marsha Kleinberg, left, and the girls’ grandmother, Leah Lipsker of New York; Cheryl Cooper checks out the many items offered at the silent auction which preceded the dinner at the Forte Center.

lion a year in grants by 2009,” Noddle added. “Is it any wonder that Chabad-with its legacy of caring and service, has chosen to honor Dr. Maurer?” But, equally important in this partnership is Bev Maurer, Nancy Noddle said in her remarks. “She’s a born politician... and great at getting her point across with the legislature and the Regents. This team has made UNMC one of the premier medical centers in the United States.” The Maurers responded to receiving the Chai Leadership Award by thanking

who truly understand the partnership with G-d. What we can learn from the Goldsteins and the Maurers is that we can make a difference...an act at a time, a mitzvah at a time. For them, the work is sacred,” he added. “They do it because it’s the right thing to do, not because of the honor.” And in his closing l’chaim, Rabbi Katzman said to the honorees: “Your kind acts have helped Chabad light up the night skies of Nebraska. May we all look beyond the surface and superficial labels that separate us.”

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